Weekly Toll: Falls, Trench Collapses, Shootings, Traffic Incidents. All In a Day’s Work

1 killed, 1 injured in scaffolding collapse at Md. elementary school construction site

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) — A subcontractor was killed and another person was injured in a scaffolding collapse at the Sugarloaf Elementary School construction site late Monday morning. Frederick County Sheriff’s officials have not released the identities of the victims. According to police, the subcontractor died when he fell approximately 25 feet to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The second worker injured his leg and was transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital.Both victims were on the scaffolding at the time of the collapse. Neither are employees of Frederick County Public Schools and instead work for an independent contracting company.

Worker killed in trench collapse in Madison County

MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – The Madison County Coroner responded to the scene of a trench collapse in Richmond. The accident happened near the intersection of Eastern Bypass and Big Hill Avenue at a construction site next to a Walgreens. The coroner says the collapse killed 38 year old Loren Richmond of Madison County. Officials say Richmond was working for a construction company developing this land. Crews on the scene used backhoes to dig in the area of the collapse. Officials removed the man’s body from the trench around 3 p.m. More than 40 responders were on scene of the accident. Madison County Coroner Jimmy Cornelison says the trench was around 14-feet deep with large pipes in it.

Man killed in Isle of Wight industrial accident

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — A man is dead after an accident at a construction site in Isle of Wight. Lt. Tommy Potter with the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened at Benn’s Grant homes, a housing development near the intersection of Route 10 and Route 32. “It just appears that he was operating some sort of heavy piece of machinery. Something went wrong with that machinery and it resulted in it overturning,” Potter said.

Worker dies in industrial accident at Benson Power

Benson, MN —Shortly after 3 p.m., Wednesday, the Swift County-Benson Health Services ambulance, Benson Fire Department and Benson Police Department responded to an emergency call that a man had fallen at the Benson Power, LLC, plant. According to the Benson police report released Friday morning, life-saving measures were administered at the scene and the man was then transported to the SCBHS emergency room. “Unfortunately, the individual did not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead,” the report released by Police Chief Ian Hodge stated. Family members have identified the man as Jeff Anderson. He was a temporary contract worker at the plant. Also assisting at the scene was the Swift County Sheriff’s Office.

Nachusa, IL — Authorities in northern Illinois say a father and son were killed in a natural gas pipeline explosion while working on a farm field. Officials on Wednesday said 59-year-old father Rory Miller of Amboy and 30-year-old son Ryan Miller of Oregon died in Tuesday morning’s explosion near Nachusa. Lee County Coroner Jesse Partington said autopsies were performed Wednesday morning but official causes of death were pending pathology results. Meanwhile, Sauk Valley Media reports that the National Transportation Safety Board and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the explosion. Officials say the explosion happened after the pipeline was struck by a tractor.

EDGEFIELD COUNTY, SC — Johnston Police lost an officer in the line of duty for the first time ever. Corporal James Eric Chapmandied in a crash while he was responding to an emergency call Friday night. Johnston Police Chief sat down with News 12 to talk about the department’s loss.

Beloved employee murdered during apparent robbery at corner store: “Treated people like family”

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WITI) – Katherine Mahmoud is now living a nightmare, after 40-year-old Ala Mahmoud, her husband of more than 20 years, was shot and killed at his workplace. Milwaukee police are investigating a shooting that happened at a corner store near 38th and North Sunday, December 10th. An employee was killed, and police believe robbery may have been the motive. Those who knew the victim have called him a great man with a big heart, and none are more heartbroken by this tragedy than his wife. She and his family have offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. “He got a son — my baby boy, and he got a daughter,” Katherine Mahmoud, the victim’s wife said. It happened shortly before 10:00 a.m., police said.

Coroner ID’s Ford plant victim

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the identity of the Ford plant worker killed early Saturday morning. The victim was Ivan Bridgewater, 41, from Seymour, Indiana, the coroner’s office said. The cause of death is still pending. Ford issued a statement on the death Saturday afternoon. The death happened early Saturday morning at their Kentucky Truck Plant. Louisville Metro Police are investigating after a man was killed at the Ford Truck Plant. Police originally said the worker was electrocuted, which we reported earlier. Ford has clarified that the worker was not electrocuted.

TREGO COUNTY, KS —Law enforcement authorities and officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating a fatal weekend accident in Trego County. Just after 3p.m. Saturday, a 39-year-old man died from an apparent accidental fall on CC Road between U.S. 283 and 26th Avenue, according to Sheriff Richard Hanks.

Early morning crash claims life of log truck driver

ATMORE, Ala. (WEAR) — One person has died in an early morning crash in Atmore Monday. According to our media partner, NorthEscambia.com, the driver of a log truck was killed after driving into a wooded area on Byrne Drive, also known as Alto Way, before daylight. NorthEscambia.com reports the crash damaged a utility pole, which left Alto Products Corporation powerless. About 100 employees were reportedly impacted.

Road Construction Worker from San Angelo Killed by Jackknifing 18-Wheeler on I-20

SWEETWATER, TX — The Texas DPS confirmed this evening that a San Angelo man was killed while working along side Interstate 20 about one-half-mile east of Sweetwater. The initial DPS investigation revealed that Joseph Michael Foster, 39, of Phoenix was eastbound in a 2018 Volvo truck tractor pulling a semi-trailer. The 18-wheeler jackknifed near a road construction area and slid south off the main interstate roadway into the south median before the service road. A construction worker was working in the median and was struck. The San Angelo man killed was Jesus Vicente Enriquez, 62, of San Angelo. KTXS reported that he was employed by Reece Albert, Inc., a road construction company based in San Angelo.

Three workers killed in New Mexico welding accident

Clovis, NM – It appears a welding accident lead to a deadly fire in Clovis, New Mexico. Three people were killed one was seriously injured. “This is one of the largest losses of life we’ve seen,” said Clovis Police Captain Roman Romero. The three deceased are John Sandoval, 54; Robert Elebario, 51; and Billie Grabowsky, 52. Rogelio Hernandez was the only one who survived the fire. He was treated at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis. “I asked him what happened and what does he remember, and he said they were just in the shop welding a piece of pipe to a car and they noticed the gas can nearby had caught a spark,” explained Rogelio’s niece, Casandra Hernandez.

FHP: Construction worker fatally struck on I-10

OKALOOSA COUNTY, FL — A construction worker was killed while trying to alert traffic to another accident Friday on Interstate 10, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. According to an FHP press release, an accident already had occurred near mile marker 46 as Bobby Steed, 29, of Orlando approached in a semi trailer headed westbound. A construction crew was in the outside westbound lane, placing an arrow board on the shoulder warning drivers of the previous accident that had the lane blocked. Steed failed to maintain control of the semi and began to slide on the wet pavement, according to the release. The Freightliner traveled out of the outside lane of travel, collided with the arrow board and struck two of the construction workers who were attempting to set it up. One of the workers, 24-year-old Harley Wolfe-Davidson Schrank of Holt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

TX Firefighter Dies after On-Duty Cardiac Event

Wichita Falls, TX — A volunteer firefighter with a rural Texas department has died after suffering a cardiac event while battling a house fire a week earlier. The Times Record News reports that firefighter Charles Patterson, a member of the Bowie Rural Volunteer Fire Department, complained of chest pains and collapsed on the morning of Dec. 1 in the front yard of a burning home while he was working a hose line.

Two public-safety officers killed in multivehicle accident in Montgomery County

Montgomery County, MD — In 2003, just months into his job with the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, Sander B. Cohen was credited with helping three residents of an apartment building escape a fire. He was 19. A year later, Cohen and four of his colleagues would be awarded a citation for bravery, the highest recognition given to firefighters and police officers. On Saturday, Cohen’s willingness to put duty first was being heralded again, but this time it was accompanied by grief. Cohen was driving on Interstate 270 near Falls Road in Montgomery County about 10 p.m. Friday when he pulled to the side of the road to help a motorist. Both he and the driver, an FBI agent, were killed when a car struck them, sending them over a concrete barrier. Cohen was then hit by another vehicle.

Willard man dies near logging equipment

NEILLSVILLE, WI — A 60-year-old man died at a logging site in the Rock Dam area in the town of Foster, according to the Clark County sheriff’s office. Robert Auman of Willard apparently died near logging equipment, an initial investigation shows. The cause of death is still being investigated by the county sheriff’s and coroner’s offices as well as the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The sheriff’s office received a call of a possible death at 4:43 p.m. Dec. 1. Auman was pronounced dead at the scene in western Clark County.

Worker dies after breathing toxic fumes in train car

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a worker died after he apparently inhaled toxic fumes while he was cleaning a train car in northern Colorado.The Greeley Tribune reports 35-year-old Jose Miguel Cisneros and a co-worker were found unconscious in a maintenance rail yard in Evans on Tuesday. Cisneros, who worked for Envirotech in Greeley, died at a hospital, and the other man’s condition has not been released. Investigators say the train car had been used to transport hazardous material.

7-Eleven worker shot and killed in Southwest Charlotte

Charlotte, NC — A 7-Eleven worker was shot and killed early Saturday while on duty inside a store in southwest Charlotte. Customers entering the store reported the shooting at 3:21 a.m. in the 700 block of Westinghouse Boulevard, just beyond the Interstate 485 beltway. When police arrived, the found an adult male (5-year-old Khaled Mohamad Elmerkabaoui) with apparent gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Police did not say what prompted the shooting.

Worker dies after gravel barge fall

SEATTLE, WA — The Seattle Police Department says a man is dead after falling from a gravel barge into the Duwamish Waterway. Detective Mark Jamieson, a department spokesman, says the 37-year-old was working on the barge, which was trying to tie up at a concrete plant at about 4:40 a.m. Thursday when a line broke and struck him. The Seattle Fire Department says the man was pulled from the water, but died at the scene. Jamieson says police expect the Coast Guard and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to investigate.

Road worker killed on Route 1 in Edison

EDISON, NJ – A 62-year-old worker from a pavement marking company died early Friday morning after he was hit by a vehicle on Route 1 North near Forest Haven Boulevard, police said. The employee of Statewide Striping Corp., Parsippany, was crossing Route 1 in the designated crosswalk at 4:40 a.m. when he was fatally struck by a Suzuki SUV, said Edison Police Sgt. David Stern, the investigating officer. The name of the victim, a Riverdale resident, was not released pending notification of his family, police said. His employer is a state Department of Transportation contractor hired to paint markings on a recently repaved section of Route 1.

Shuttle Bus Driver Fatally Shot in Fight on Former Walter Reed Campus

Washington DC — A 50-year-old shuttle bus driver shot and killed a co-worker in a fight on the former Walter Reed Medical Center campus, police said. The gunman and the 45-year-old victim, Brian Andre Gibson of northwest D.C., had a bad history with one another and got into an argument which escalated into a fight Friday morning, police said. At some point, the 50-year-old man pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the 6900 block of Georgia Avenue NW, police say. Both men were drivers for a construction company taking construction workers to various job sites. Shuttle Bus Driver Fatally Shot in Fight on Former Walter Reed Campus.

Madison County jail officer killed in Markleville

MARKLEVILLE, Ind. – A Madison County jail officer was killed in an apparent homicide in Markleville. Madison County Sheriff Scott Mellinger originally said that Uriah Wilson was shot in an off-duty incident Thursday night. They concluded that he was in fact strangled to death in a new report issued Saturday. Wilson, 29, worked for the department for 5 years, most recently as a supervisor, Mellinger said.

Authorities Release Name of Man Killed on the Job

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of an employee who was killed at his Cedar Rapids workplace. Police identified the man as 46-year-old Daniel Heeren, who lived in Van Horne. He was run over by a semitrailer Wednesday morning at the DuPont Industrial Bioscience facility. Police say Heeren’s death didn’t result from a crime and say an industrial safety investigation is expected.

Yell authorities investigating man’s death

DANVILLE, AR — Sheriff Bill Gilkey said Thursday that the Yell County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an incident which occurred Thursday morning on State Highway 80 west of Danville in which a worker died in what appeared to have been an accident. Loyd Dale Bice, Jr., 52, of Danville had reportedly been driving a truck for a local trash service and stopped and exited the vehicle to assist another worker in collecting trash at a residence when the vehicle apparently rolled over him, according to Chief Deputy John Foster, who said Yell County 911 was notified of the incident at approximately 9:24 a.m. on Thursday. Bice had previously served Yell County as a deputy sheriff under Sheriff Mike May in the early 1990’s. Foster said that the agency would like to express it’s deepest condolences to his family.

Gulf rig worker killed in apparent equipment accident

Port Fourchon, LA — Authorities say a worker was killed in what appears to be an equipment-related accident on a drillship in the Gulf of Mexico. The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a news release Wednesday that the incident happened Sunday aboard the Petrobras 10,000 drillship, owned by Transocean Ltd. The safety bureau said the deceased worker was employed by Spencer Ogden Ltd. as a floorhand and was engaged in pipe-handling operations when he was injured. The statement said the man was positioned between a stanchion on the rig floor, with his back to the retracting skate, when the skate moved and its loading platform pinned him against the stanchion.

Massachusetts firefighter collapses, dies battling blaze

MONTGOMERY, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts firefighter has died while battling an overnight house fire. The fire in a home in Montgomery was called in just after 11 p.m. Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the state Fire Marshal says the firefighter was a member of the department in Montgomery, a town of fewer than 1,000 residents west of Springfield. The spokeswoman says the firefighter collapsed at the scene and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The firefighter’s name was not immediately made public.

Owner of Gentilly-area Subway shot and killed at restaurant

NEW ORLEANS, LA – The owner of a Subway sandwich shop in Gentilly was shot and killed after an intruder walked into the store and pulled out a gun, leading to a confrontation between the two men, according to NOPD spokesman Aaron Looney. The New Orleans Advocate identified the victim as 51-year-old Adnan Alasar, who leaves behind a wife and three children. The confrontation began about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Subway in the 2100 block of Caton Street.
Police said the two men got into an argument and two shots were fired, striking the owner.

Salvation Army worker shot dead while preaching the gospel to his killer

Cleveland, OH — A Salvation Army worker was shot dead in Cleveland, Ohio Saturday as he was preaching the gospel to his killer. The incident was the beginning of a crime spree for the suspect who later stole multiple vehicles and shot a woman. The Salvation Army worker was Jared Plesec, a 21-year old youth worker and church member of The Salvation Army Temple Corps Community Center in Collinwood. According to witnesses, the suspect killed Plesec as he was sharing the Bible with him.

31-year-old worker dies on construction site in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — A construction worker has died Tuesday at a downtown Kansas City job site, officials say. Investigators have not released the name of the worker but say the person was 31 years old and was employed by Ramp Up Labor. Titan Built Construction is the general contractor on the construction site, located near 11th Street and Grand. Initial information suggests the worker died in a fall.

Maine dump truck driver killed after truck lands in stream

CLAYTON LAKE TOWNSHIP, Maine — A man driving a dump truck was killed when he likely suffered a medical issue and ended up in a stream, Maine State Police said. The crash happened Monday. Cedric Pelletier, 51, of Sinclair, was killed when he hit his head, police said. Police believe he suffered a medical event, which caused him to drive off the road and into the Ross Stream crossing of Clayton Lake.